Vermillion Visions
Photographer: Mikilani
1. What significant life experiences or events have influenced and shaped your artistic vision?
My creative adventure started as a makeup artist before picking up photography. Because of my experience and passion with that, I feel like I have a deeper understanding of not only the visual impact of makeup in photographs but also the emotional impact of it in person. I love when a client or model can transform thanks to my work, and because of that, I tend to focus on beauty photography which really allows me to capture the essence of femininity.
2. Collaboration often sparks fresh creativity. Can you share an example of a collaboration that led to an unexpected and exciting artistic outcome?
Although this isn’t one as a photographer, I still have a lasting impression from one of my first photoshoots with water (a hot tub) and creative makeup that truly came together in an explosion of collaboration. Everything happened so fast but I know we started with a hint of a concept, a single swimsuit and some fabric. I winged it with makeup, using the colors of the fabric as inspiration and sometimes just shrugging and asking “why not?” That day I was working with an amazing photographer who, to this day, is a huge inspiration to me and really encouraged me to go wild and get out of the box, as well as a an absolute bombshell of a model who rocked every single look thrown at her. Those images are still some of my favorites to date.
3. Walk us through a specific project that challenged your creative boundaries. How did you approach it, and what did you learn from the experience?
Still considering myself very new to photography, every project for me is a new challenge. I always try to have an idea of how things “should” go but always leave room for happy accidents and new discoveries. In all honesty, it’s usually my fault because I use minimal lighting and most of my inspiration uses a setup, but I have big ambitions for my single light! Because of said big ambitions and minimal lights, my shoots usually have plenty of new discoveries and bumps along the way and I’ve learned to be completely okay with that because I often love the results even more. I’ve gotten pretty creative with my light and a reflector though.
4. In the ever-evolving art world, what do you believe sets your work apart and makes it unique or groundbreaking?
I don’t think my work is that unique or ground breaking but “me.” In this day and age, I think it’s really hard to create something truly unique because we’re all inspired by each other and similar things and the only thing I can hope for is that I can stumble into creating something that has as much of “me” in it, or at least my version of it and that it invokes something in someone.
5. As you reflect on your journey, are there any specific goals or milestones you've set for your artistic career in the coming years?
Photography for me is all about having fun and creating art that has an impact on someone. I’m constantly looking for new ways to express myself and experiment while being influenced by the world around me as well as my own fleeting feelings and experiences. The chase after the next big idea keeps me driven and I hope to keep evolving and learning because that’s part of the fun. Getting a cover story for my first collab submission was also a pretty neat milestone!
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Wardrobe Stylist/Makeup Artist/Hair Stylist/Retoucher/Photographer: Mikilani
Model: Elisa Lau
Retoucher: Marina Baliukova
Modeling Agency: BMG Models